NSW Record Shattered in Final Foray

25 January 2022
Olivia Wunsch NSW Record Broken Senior State Age

Photo cred Chloe Osborn Click-Clo Photography

Revesby Workers’ indestructible Abbey Connor opened the final session of 2022 NSW Senior State Age Championships, and closed her campaign with a test of endurance – the Women’s 15 Years & Over 800m Freestyle. Finished for these Championships, but not in the pool, Connor eclipsed competitors, steaming through her laps with so much more still in the tank. Half a pool’s length in front of the pack at the final turn, Connor powered home to claim the 16 Years gold in 8:50.75. Narrabeen’s Lexi Harrison and Warringah Aquatic’s Dominique Melbourn challenged each other into the wall, vying for places on the podium. Harrison claimed the 17 Years & Over gold in 9:08.17, while Melbourn took out the 15 Years top spot in 9:06.26.

Women’s 15 Years 100m Butterfly contenders Olivia Wunsch (Carlile), Ruby Tonelli-Smith (Trinity Grammar) and Mia Fildissis (PLC Sydney) set the pace for the field, leading the way at the 50m mark. Wunsch drove into the wall at the turn, setting herself up for a solid trip home. Gaining the clear advantage with 25m left to go, Wunsch pulled ahead with Tonelli-Smith and Fildissis bearing down. Stopping the clock in a searing 1:01.09, Wunsch claimed the gold medal and shattered the NSW Record. Tonelli-Smith and Fildissis also delivered impressive performances, with Tonelli-Smith (1:03.31) touching just a fingernail in front of Fildissis (1:03.32).

The boys left it all in the pool in the corresponding Men’s event. City of Sydney’s Marcus Da Silva built up for an early lead and clear swim home, but James Gauci (SOPAC) wouldn’t hand the title to him easily. A sensational battle back to the wall in lanes four and five, Gauci stayed right on Da Silva’s shoulder and pushed him all the way to the finish. Da Silva earned the top spot on the podium in a quick 56.74, followed by Gauci in second (57.24) and Castle Hill RSL Dolphins’ Caleb Yago in third (58.58).

Always a crowd favourite, competitors in the Men’s 17 Years & Over 100m Freestyle events did not disappoint! First off the turn in the Men’s 17 Years event in 24.99 was Novocastrian’s Joshua Reed, steaming down the pool and challenging Jamie Mooney (Wagga Wagga) and Declain Quirk (SOPAC) in lanes four and five. Churning through the water stroke for stroke, the race was too close to call until the very last, Mooney winning a tight victory in 51.41, with Quirk (51.49) and Reed (51.67) rounding out the podium.

The Men’s 18 Years & Over 100m Freestyle brought the big guns out on deck to deliver another exhilarating contest and close finish. Zach Maher (Carlile) and Tomas Kapocius (SOPAC) went hard for glory in lanes four and five, Maher gaining a slight advantage after a skilled turn. With Kapocius chasing him down, Maher dug into his reserves and pushed on towards the wall to claim first place in 50.39. Kapocius took second an arm’s length behind in 50.81, followed by Joshua Collett (Bond, V) 51.06 and Shaun Champion (Abbotsleigh) 51.20.

NU Swim’s Ella Mounter had a fantastic start in the Women’s 14 Years 200m Breaststroke, her stroke smooth and measured on pace. Using power from her competent kick to drive her forward, Mounter was able to maintain a fair lead over the field. In the third leg of the race, SOPAC’s Mia Burdack turned up the heat and overtook Mounter at the turn. Hot on her heels, Mounter chased Burdack into the wall to claim the second spot on in the podium in 2:44.85, just behind Burdack’s winning time of 2:41.60. Dubbo City’s Joely Bruce turned out a fantastic race, cranking up the pace when it mattered the most. Bruce claimed her spot in third place in 2:45.30.

Nicholas Stoupas Swimmer of the Night 25 January
Nicholas Stoupas Swimmer of the Night

It was Nicholas Stoupas (Cranbrook) at the 50m, the 100m, the 150m mark and with the win in tonight’s Men’s 13-14 Years 200m Breaststroke. Body lengths ahead of his competition in the final leg of his race, Stoupas was free and clear to drive into the wall, eclipsing the field in 2:23.71. This cracker of a swim earned Stoupas Swimmer of the Night for the second time these Championships. Ned Cane (Castle Hill RSL Dolphins) and Jonathan Nam (Trinity Grammar) gave the audience a thrilling contest, with James Napoli (SOPAC) closing in rapidly. Cane went all out, stopping the clock in 2:33.76 to claim the silver medal, while Nam took home bronze in 2:34.36.

A tough challenge for any competitor, the 400m IM can be a gruelling event, requiring skill and athletic endurance. The 12–13-year-old girls really showed up tonight and put forward their best effort in what was an exciting contest. The fastest qualifier through to finals, Evie Lucas (Valley Aquatic) had a promising start in lane four. Strong and proficient in her breaststroke leg, Manly’s Lillie McPherson gained momentum and surged ahead of the field, putting body lengths between herself and the competition in her final 50m. McPherson touched for gold comfortably in 5:17.47, meanwhile a head-to-head contest for second was developing between Lucas and Ginninderra’s Taeya Williams. Impossible to call until the very last, Lucas stopped the clock in 5:22.15, followed by Williams in 5:22.21.

25 January Congratulations

  • Swimmer of the Night
  • Nicholas Stoupas for his performance in the Men’s 13-14 Years 200m Breaststroke - 2:23.71.

  • Medalists
  • Women’s 15 Years 800m Freestyle

    1 Dominique Melbourn (Warringah Aquatic) 9:06.26

    2 Siena Citarella (City of Sydney Aquatic) 9:20.98

    3 Hannah Mayne (SOPAC) 9:34.14

     

    Women’s 16 Years 800m Freestyle

    1 Abbey Connor (Revesby Workers) 8:50.75

    2 Ava Jankovic (Valley Aquatic) 9:14.74

    3 Lilly Geddes (Trinity Lismore) 9:47.26

     

    Women’s 17 Years & Over 800m Freestyle

    1 Lexi Harrison (Narrabeen) 9:08.17

    2 Frances Shires (COSAC) 9:25.62

    3 Jasmine Fawer (Southern Sydney)

     

    Men’s 17 Years 200m Butterfly

    1 Caleb Dryer (Trinity Grammar) 2:04.13

    2 Justin Lee (Knox Pymble) 2:05.95

    3 Ryley Twiss (Hunter) 2:06.00

     

    Men’s 18 Years & Over 200m Butterfly

    1 Jeremy Lagonilla (Carlile) 2:05.25

    2 Lachlan Foley (AquaBlitz Toongabbie) 2:05.36

    3 Josh Kingston (Campbelltown) 2:06.08

     

    Women’s 14 Years 200m Freestyle

    1 Annika Fowler (Manly) 2:08.23

    2 Chloe Brodrick (Tuggeranong Vikings) 2:08.57

    3 Macy Beuzeville (Warringah Aquatic) 2:08.60

     

    Men’s 13-14 Years 200m Freestyle

    1 Nicholas Stoupas (Cranbrook) 1:58.21

    2 Alexander Clarence (AquaBlitz Toongabbie) 1:59.65

    3 Luke Higgs (Warringah Aquatic) 2:01.48

     

    Women’s 15 Years 100m Butterfly

    1 Olivia Wunsch (Carlile) 1:01.09

    2 Ruby Tonelli-Smith (Trinity Grammar) 1:03.31

    3 Mia Fildissis (PLC Sydney) 1:03.32

     

    Men’s 15 Years 100m Butterfly

    1 Marcus Da Silva (City of Sydney Aquatic) 56.74

    2 James Gauci (SOPAC) 57.24

    3 Caleb Yago (Castle Hill RSL Dolphins) 58.58

     

    Men’s 16 Years 200m Backstroke

    1 Alexander Foreman (Kincumber Pacific Dolphins) 2:05.39

    2 Tane Bidois (Knox Pymble) 2:06.55

    3 Kai Lilienthal (Knox Pymble) 2:09.73

     

    Women’s 16 Years 200m Backstroke

    1 Bella Grant (Trinity Grammar) 2:16.15

    2 Alexandra Lawrence (Loreto Normanhurst) 2:21.87

    3 Emily Ryan (Manly) 2:23.55

     

    Women’s 17 Years & Over 200m Backstroke

    1 Anneke van Zoggel (SOPAC) 2:16.88

    2 Adriana Fydler (Knox Pymble) 2:19.10

    3 Emily Jones (Hunter) 2:19.28

     

    Women’s 12-13 Years 100m Backstroke

    1 Heidi Shumack (PLC Sydney) 1:08.89

    2 Taylah Markulin (Kincumber Pacific Dolphins) 1:09.48

    3 Salani Sa’aga (Knox Pymble) 1:10.13

     

    Men’s 17 Years 100m Freestyle

    1 Jamie Mooney (Wagga Wagga) 51.41

    2 Declan Quirk (SOPAC) 51.49

    3 Joshua Reed (Novocastrian) 51.67

     

    Men’s 18 Years & Over 100m Freestyle

    1 Zach Maher (Carlile) 50.39

    2 Tomas Kapocius (SOPAC) 50.81

    3 Joshua Collett (Bond, V) 51.06

    3 Shaun Champion (Abbotsleigh) 51.20

     

    Women’s 15 Years 200m IM

    1 Olivia Wunsch (Carlile) 2:17.90

    2 Talika Irvine (Bay & Basin) 2:25.21

    3 Amelia Simm (Tamworth City) 2:26.15

     

    Men’s 15 Years 200m IM

    1 Joshua Kerr (Manly) 2:08.67

    2 Hayden Hoang (MLC Marlins) 2:11.26

    3 Samuel Higgs (Warringah Aquatic) 2:12.32

     

    Women’s 14 Years 200m Breaststroke

    1 Mia Burdack (SOPAC) 2:41.60

    2 Ella Mounter (NU Swim) 2:44.85

    3 Joely Bruce (Dubbo City Swimtech) 2:45.30

     

    Men’s 13-14 Years 200m Breaststroke

    1 Nicholas Stoupas (Cranbrook) 2:23.71

    2 Ned Cane (Castle Hill RSL Dolphins) 2:33.76

    3 Jonathan Nam (Trinity Grammar) 2:34.36

     

    Women’s 12-13 Years 400m IM

    1 Lillie McPherson (Manly) 5:17.47

    2 Evie Lucas (Valley Aquatic) 5:22.15

    3 Taeya Williams (Ginninderra) 5:22.21

     

    Men’s 15-16 Years 50m Butterfly

    1 Matthew Harris (Warringah Aquatic) 25.78

    2 Marcus Da Silva (City of Sydney Aquatic) 25.81

    3 James Gauci (SOPAC) 26.30

     

    Women’s 16 Years 50m Butterfly

    1 Bianca Fuller (Kinross Wolaroi) 27.71

    2 Sophie Mayes (Trinity Lismore) 27.90

    3 Ava Jankovic (Valley Aquatic) 29.05

     

    Women’s 17 Years & Over 50m Butterfly

    1 Sydney Brown (Wests Illawarra) 27.54

    2 Claudia Fydler (Knox Pymble) 27.79

    3 Emily Jones (Hunter) 27.83

     

    Men’s 17 Years 50m Butterfly

    1 Declan Quirk (SOPAC) 25.39

    2 Justin Lee (Knox Pymble) 25.41

    3 Joshua Reed (Novocastrian) 25.83

     

    Men’s 18 Years & Over 50m Butterfly

    1 Zach Maher (Carlile) 24.60

    2 Ryan Hansen (Trinity Grammar) 24.88

    3 Lachlan Mackay (Novocastrian) 25.16

     

    Men’s 16 Years 1500m Freestyle

    1 Riley Lawrence (AquaBlitz Toongabbie) 16:48.14

    2 Jackson McCleery (Newington) 16:56.29

    3 Flynn Jackson (Randwick City) 17:08.35

     

    Men’s 17 Years 1500m Freestyle

    1 Caleb Dryer (Trinity Grammar) 16:13.40

    2 Blake Waugh (Revesby Workers) 16:24.69

    3 Ryley Twiss (Hunter) 17:32.68

     

    Men’s 18 Years & Over 1500m Freestyle

    1 Reece Caddy (Valley Aquatic) 16:22.59

    2 Eden Horne (Carlile) 16:24.57

    3 Lachlan Sheehy (City of Sydney Aquatic) 16:38.51

     

    Women’s 12-17 Years 4x100m Medley Relay

    1 SOPAC 4:17.48

    2 Knox Pymble 4:21.22

    3 Loreto Normanhurst 4:27.23

     

    Men’s 13-18 Years 4x100m Medley Relay

    1 SOPAC 3:50.66

    2 Knox Pymble 3:51.01

    3 Warringah Aquatic 3:57.33

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